Student worksheet

1. Do you see anything unusual about the graph? Do you have any idea about what might have caused this?

Read the selection 'Divorce in the 1990s', being sure to read the ‘Methods’ section and examine the included tables and charts.

2. Answer the following questions briefly, in preparation for discussion in a small group:

1. What happened in 1985, and what effect did it have on the number of divorces in the 1980s? Do you think this change in legislation was a positive or negative change for Canadians?
2. Since 1981 the number of marriages per year has generally been decreasing, but during the late 1980s the number of marriages went up. Why? Now that marriage is less permanent than it used to be, do you think people are more likely or less likely to get married?
3. The article, referring to chart 4, says that the distribution of the length of marriages ending in divorce for men 65 - 87 is 'bimodal'. What does this mean? What is the difference between the group of men of this age who got divorced after decades of marriage and the group who got divorced in the first few years of their marriage?
4. Discuss how the following factors might be related to the increasing number of divorces in Canada over the past decades:
   • More families where both partners have jobs.
   • Increased mobility.
   • Decreased attachment to religion and religious institutions.

1. In a small group (3 - 4 members), review your questions and answers and draw some logical and accurate conclusions.
2. Hand in your group's conclusions.